In a known apparatus for filling hard gelatine capsules with powder (German Offenlegungsschrift No. 23 22 028), the arrangement is such that the container for the product to be filled is combined with the dispensing disc to make a self-contained unit. The dispensing disc acts as the base of the filling product container, which in turn comprises a jacket, which encompasses the dispensing disc, and a lid, which has apertures through which the stuffing and transfer punches can pass. This apparatus has proved to be generally successful, because it assures that uniform quantities of the powder are introduced into dispensing chambers in such a manner that the product is not harmed, and the product is then transferred into hard gelatine capsules in such a way that a loss of powder is avoided. Furthermore, the embodiment of the dispensing disc and the filling product container as a self-contained unit prevents soiling of the machine, because then no powder can escape. Still further, this arrangement and embodiment of the dispensing disc and filling product container result in a relatively compact structure for the powder filling and stuffing apparatus.
However, when segments receiving the upper and lower parts of the capsules and rotating on a circular track are disposed alongside the dispensing disc having the filling product container, the result is relatively large dimensions for these machines. (See particularly page 3 of a prospectus for GKF filling and sealing machines for hard gelatine capsules, put out by Hofliger + Karg.) The increased space requirement is also a consequence of the fact that frequently pellets or tablets must be filled into the hard gelatine capsules, in addition to the powder. To accomplish this, additional work stations are required, and they must be disposed within the movement range of the segments receiving the lower parts of the capsules.
It would be desirable to have a machine for filling powder into hard gelatine capsules in which the individual elements required for processing the hard gelatine capsules are disposed and associated with one another in such a way that the machine can be realized with significant savings in terms of space as compared with known machines. In so doing, it ought also to be possible to dispose additional work stations in a similarly space-saving manner, so that various variations in filling processes can be performed.